Ayodhya: Buddhists stake claims to controversial site

By VOA News, 6 April 2003

Buddhists have staked a claim to an Indian religious site already fought-over by Hindus and Muslims.

The Lord Buddha Club filed a petition Friday with India’s Lucknow High Court claiming the northern town of Ayodhya was once a Buddhist city with 3,000 monks. The group cited 5th century writings by Chinese travelers to back up the claim.

The petition adds another twist to an already complicated legal fight over the land. Hindu zealots claim Ayodhya was the birthplace of the Hindu warrior god Ram. In 1992, they demolished a 16 century mosque they say was built on top of a Hindu temple at the site, sparking violence that left more than 3,000 people dead. Muslim leaders dispute the Hindu claim, and want to rebuild their mosque on the land.

The courts have asked archaeologists to excavate the site and determine if a temple existed there before the mosque. It is not clear how the new Buddhist claim over Ayodhya will affect the current legal battle.

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